It’s eclipse season! That means this month’s New Moon and Full Moon are also eclipses. Early this Thursday morning, September 1st, at 2:03am PST (5:03am EST, 10:03am UK) there’s a total solar eclipse at 9 degrees of Virgo. The moon comes directly between the Earth and the Sun, momentarily blocking the light of the sun. This eclipse will be visible from Africa and the Middle East, but will affect all of us energetically.

When the light of the sun is blocked out, the energy is reset--sort of like a reboot. In that moment, everything can change. Change is often gradual. It may take months or years or lifetimes to alter patterns that have become habits. But in large part that’s just because we think it’ll take that long. While it’s true that it may take months or years before a non runner could run a marathon, a non-runner could decide to take up running overnight. In an instant you could change from a non-runner, to a runner, or a smoker to a non-smoker, or meat-eater to a vegan. These are the kinds of changes that are possible with this eclipse.

Not only is there the potential for us to take initiative and make changes in these areas, but the universe itself may organize to initiate such changes in our lives. Stay tuned for news that may come into your life (in the weeks, even months around the eclipse) having to do with Virgo themes.

This eclipse is at 9 degrees Virgo, which is a point that has special significance. This is the degree at which Mars turned retrograde on April 17th. At the end of its retrograde, on August 24th, Mars passed this degree point again, and at the same time conjuncted Saturn. So, this eclipse energy is connected to what we were reworking over the spring, having to do with initiative, drive, sexuality, and physicality.

Virgo is the virgin--but not the virgin as understood by patriarchal culture who’s seen as pure because she’s never had sex--rather the virgin as the free woman who is independent and unattached. She is devoted to her work in the world, which is service to her community. Service that is a divine calling. Not menial labour, but work that makes her heart sing.

Virgo relates to service, daily-routine, and health. This is a powerful time for reflecting on and setting intentions in these areas of your life. Allow intentions to arise from your heart. Let them be visions for what you desire. Intentions are not goals. They are not lists of achievements we aim for, through stringent rules and forcing ourselves to follow some routine. Realizing our intentions will naturally occur when we align with the vision of our heart, when we can feel into our future, and allow for the natural unfolding of our life along the lines that bring us joy.

This eclipse is opposite Neptune and square Saturn, thus triggering the Saturn-Neptune square we’ve been working with since last November. I’ve written about this aspect before. Essentially, this creates tension between structure/form/discipline/tradition/time/separation/physicality (Saturn) and formlessness/dissolution of structure/imagination/unity/timelessness/merging/collective unconscious/dreams/consciousness (Neptune). This tension can arise in many ways of course, so reflect on your past year to see how these themes relate to your life. It can bring about confusion, delusion, fantasy, and deception. It can trigger questions about who and what we can trust. There may be friction between our reality, and our vision. Pay special attention to the days around September 1st when the eclipse triggers the Saturn-Neptune square, and September 10th, when this aspect is exact for the last time for clues as to the meaning of this aspect in your life.

Square aspects can be challenging, but there is always a potential for using the energy in a positive way. The potential here is to make our dreams (Neptune) real (Saturn). With Mercury retrograde from August 30th-September 22nd (more on that in my video), this is a good time for revising plans, and setting in place structures, routines, etc. (Saturn) that will make our visions (Neptune) reality (Saturn).

For more information on Mercury Retrograde, the Virgo eclipse, and the Saturn-Neptune square, check out my video in which I discuss the astrology for the first half of September.